The Buckeyes have owned this series through the years against the Fighting Illini of Illinois and in particular since 1995. Over the past 25 seasons, the Buckeyes are 17-3 when battling for the Illibuck trophy (these teams do not play every season based on the unbalanced scheduling model of the conference).

Ohio State is on a nine-game winning streak (sorry NCAA, we do not accept vacated games, we were there, we saw it, it happened) in this series and while Ohio State has won them all, there is a difference in home and away in this series. During the last four games in Columbus, the Buckeyes have won all of those games by an average of 34.75 points per game. What happens in Champaign (Ill.)? That margin falls down to just 16.2 points per game.

Now, 16.2 is still better than two touchdowns and that is nothing to sneeze at, but it is a far cry from the near five-touchdown margin for games played in The Horseshoe.

But strangely enough, the last five Illinois wins in this series have all occurred... are you ready for this? In Columbus. The Illini have not won at home since 1991, a 10-7 win. For those who don't remember that game (I did not, had to look it up), Ohio State's lone touchdown was a 44-yard connection between Kent Graham and Joey Galloway but the Illini would score in the final three minutes of the game with a 49-yard field goal.

This game is not about what happened in the past though, it is about what is going to happen in the future, like the near future in the 24-hour range. That's why we are making our picks for how we see things playing out in this game between Ohio State and Illinois.

I am not even going to try and say otherwise, I wrote my prediction on Sunday, the day after the Indiana game. There is nothing about that Indiana game that has anything to do with how I see this game playing out and there is no need to drag it out a couple of days to get to the same destination.

PLUS: Tale of the Tape - Illinois

Yes, the Illini are on a two-game winning streak and that is all well and good after a pretty bad three-game start to the season, a start with a pair of blowout losses to Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Illinois getting Brandon Peters back is a good thing as well, but let's not try and pretend that he is going to watch what Michael Penix was able to do and suddenly mimic that. If it were only that easy.

The Illini are No. 98 in total defense, No. 78 in scoring defense and inside of the bottom-20 nationally in pass efficiency defense. In what world does Illinois stop the Buckeyes on offense, all things being equal?

Weather is never "equal" when it comes to the Illinois Memorial Wind Tunnel. Remember, I am writing this six days in advance, so who knows what the weather will actually be. But upon writing this, the call was 20-percent chance of rain and 10 mph winds. That means the wind will be at least twice that and I have no real idea about what the precipitation will actually be, but at least it does not look like blowing snow and gale force winds.

Last week we said the Buckeyes were going to come out pissed and that was true, at least until a fumble was not reviewed and fate intervened, and even then the Buckeyes still went up by 28-points.

Illinois may have scored 41 last week against Nebraska but no matter how much you think the Ohio State defense is below average this year, it is not going to be within the same area code as where Nebraska is this year.

The Illini will be a designated crash test dummy this week and Ohio State will be a wall. We know how this one usually ends. Ohio State 56, Illinois 17

This is the week that Ohio State puts it all together.

It’s been a month of disjointed performances from the Buckeyes, who have looked excellent on both sides of the ball for several 30-minute stretches only to be outscored 71-45 in the second halves of the past three games.

But in Illinois, Ohio State gets a mediocre Big Ten opponent on which to take out its frustrations and answer some of the questions that it might already be sick of hearing –– especially after allowing nearly 500 yards through the air alone in a game that was too close for comfort last week.

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The Fighting Illini are streaking though, having won two straight and coming off a 41-point performance against Nebraska with previously COVID-plagued quarterback Brandon Peters back healthy at the helm of the offense.

How much will that really mean against the Buckeyes on Saturday though? Probably not much. Illinois is last in the conference in passing offense and No. 10 in passing defense, which are both areas in which a team hoping to beat Ohio State needs to be particularly strong.

Illinois’ strength offensively has been in the run game, where it’s putting up a conference second-best 222.4 yards per game behind three rushers boasting more than 200 yards on the season so far.

However, the Buckeyes are second in the conference in run defense, and are coming off a game in which Indiana finished with negative yards on the ground against the Ohio State front.

The Buckeye defense will come in eager to show a better account of itself after last week, as will Justin Fields, and Ohio State will roll big time. Ohio State 47, Illinois 17

Ohio State ought to be out for blood after last weekend’s showing against Indiana. Although the Buckeyes got the win at the end of the game, their strength was tested.

Illinois ranks 10th in pass defense and 11th in run defense in the Big Ten, and has allowed 32.0 points per game. The Fighting Illini do have momentum with their two-game road win streak, but prior to last year’s upset against No. 6 Wisconsin, they have won only one game against a ranked opponent since 2011.

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Cris Carter will no longer stand alone in terms of consecutive games with at least 100 receiving yards after this weekend. Barring something extraneous, Garrett Wilson will continue to make plays after setting a new season-high for himself with 169 yards last weekend. The Buckeyes need to determine a third reliable target in addition to Wilson and Chris Olave, and we haven’t seen the freshmen too much these last few weeks. I think Buckeye Nation will be formally introduced to Julian Fleming on Saturday.

The secondary has to rebound, without a doubt. Illinois isn’t a pass-reliant team, but Brandon Peters threw for over 200 yards last week. Ryan Day said Tuesday different combinations will be in practice this week, and while it’s anyone’s guess as to who will rotate in, the coaching staff has talked highly of Tyreke Johnson. A former five-star safety from the class of 2018, Johnson’s name was brought up when Cam Brown went down against Penn State. Perhaps he will see more snaps this week.

Ohio State has vengefully had Illinois' number since 2007, and while the two don't get together too often, this will be a game the Buckeyes will use to forget about what's happened up to this point. Ohio State 52 Illinois 10

Illinois appears to be a team slowly finding its identity.

After three consecutive losses to open the season in which four different quarterbacks attempted a pass, Lovie Smith has eased the Illini offense into a run-heavy approach.

In its two wins (over Rutgers and Nebraska), the Illini have rushed a combined 111 times for 623 yards. Ohio State will see Brandon Peters under center on Saturday-- Peters was solid through the air last week, but Illinois is going to use a versatile group of running backs and weapons on the ground to take the air out of this game.

Chase Brown and Mike Epstein will be the main ball carriers on Saturday, but hybrid QB Isaiah Williams has his own 100-yard performance and Peters can scramble when given a chance.

The similarly-styled Nebraska attack found some success weaving its way through Ohio State’s run defense in week one, but it’s an area that the Buckeyes have shown much improvement in. With the lack of quarterback stability this Illinois team has shown, its success running the ball will define its offensive output as a whole.

On the other side of the ball, Smith’s defense seems to want to be some version of the Indiana unit Ohio State saw last week. It’s an aggressive group that has found success turning opponents over (seven interceptions, six fumble recoveries) and pressuring quarterbacks.

Justin Fields will be prepared after a letdown outing last week. That much is guaranteed. Ohio State's offense will continue to eat opponents alive, one way or another-- though Illinois has been much better defending the pass over the past two weeks. If both Fields and Master Teague can be simultaneously effective, Illinois is in for a long afternoon.

The important takeaway from this game should be how well Ohio State puts Illinois away in the second half, an area it has very clearly struggled with this season. This should be a game where backups see significant time and Ryan Day figures out which young members of his secondary can contribute. Ohio State 52, Illinois 17

This week is all about Ohio State and being able to fix themselves. There are many units that still need to improve to championship caliber football. In this day and age, being able to defend the pass is at a premium.

Ohio State enters Illinois week dead last in the Big Ten is pass defense. This is the week that Kerry Coombs and Ryan Day can start to rotate personnel to see what fits their current scheme. Marcus Hooker has another week to get better, and what a week this is to do it. Illinois will struggle on both sides of the ball, and Ohio State can get young guys reps.

I see this as a week the secondary improves, and Coombs sends out some different personnel to see who fits this defense. With the Ohio State offense, this is another week to sure up protection, and a week to really run the football. Another week this unit gets reps, and another week they will see exotic pressure. This is a big week to get back on track. Ohio State 56, Illinois 14

In my view, it's not a question of whether Ohio State beats Illinois Saturday, but how it will look while doing so.

There's questions that need answered if the Buckeyes want to contend for a national title down the road in 2020. Specifically in the secondary.

Every other unit has shown it can play at a high, perhaps even championship level. Behind a strong offensive line redshirt sophomore running back Master Teague and senior running back Trey Sermon looked productive against a decent Indiana defense, with Ohio State averaging over six yards per carry.

How will defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs and head coach Ryan Day shake up the defensive backfield after a 491-yard passing day for the Hoosiers? Changes have to be on the horizon.

Safety will be one position to watch. Redshirt sophomore Marcus Hooker and junior Josh Proctor have not lived up to expectations four games in, but the pair are the only feasible options deep. Could the Buckeyes rotate to a two-high look to help ease some of the deep struggles?

It's clear that Ohio State doesn't have the ability to play the same aggressive man sets it did in 2019. A bend-but-don't break approach against the pass could be warranted. What the defense does against Illinois senior quarterback Brandon Peters.

Then again, the Fightin Illini rank 113th in the country in passing yards per game and 80th in total offense.

Of course, this is all assuming the game is played, considering the group of positive COVID-19 tests within the Ohio State program.

If the game is afoot Saturday Illinois will make a few plays in an overall rout for the Buckeyes. Ohio State 56 Illinois 17

There are a certain number of games that get me really fired up. Obviously beating that team up north is a favorite of mine. We all get gold pants for that one. Then there’s winning the Big Ten Championship a week later. You get a nice shiny trophy for that. Then there’s the bowl game trophy that was always fun to win before the national championship trophies are awarded. All of those trophies pale in comparison to the trophy I love... the Wooden Turtle Trophy for beating Illinois.

This trophy hasn’t left Columbus since some guy named Juice Williams came into the Horseshoe and saddened Jim Tressel and his guys. It was a dopey game to watch but they won it and I hear they saddened everyone around here. However on my watch, that turtle never left Columbus except that one time when my wife tried to sell it at the annual Muirfield Village Garage Sale. Fortunately I prevented that from happening. Nevertheless the Wooden Turtle Trophy is special and I love that it’s been in Columbus through the Obama and Trump administrations.

Here’s why we’ll win. Illinois has a shoddy running game, a questionable offensive line, highly average receivers, a quarterback who isn’t efficient, a suspect defensive line, below average linebackers, a subpar secondary and a weak kicking game. Besides those deficiencies, they’re a top ten team. But they’re not even top ten in the Big Ten. After a week filled with film study, hard practices and our coaches throwing things around and staying away from COVID, we should be ready for whatever Illinois throws at us. Or runs at us. This should be over by halftime and if you want to go away and cut down a Christmas tree by then, you won’t see an Illinois comeback like those Indiana kids attempted last week. Ohio State 66, Illinois 13